This Was Their Choice
by Hyperteenager24
Summary: Oliver's life is slowly falling apart at the seams...and things only got worse 2nd in 'And a Clone Makes Three' series
1. He's Gone

Okay, so apparently quite a few people cried at the ending of the first part of this series….well, I hate to break it to you, but this section is really going to hurt. I mean I cried whilst planning out the chapter of this one, so God knows what it's going to do my lovely readers :S

Please read and review :)

…..

Oliver loved snow.

He could spend all day making snowmen after snowmen after snowmen…and then knocking them down playing war. Usually, his parents would be playing with him or at least supervising him in order to make sure he didn't get too cold…however, today his parents were on a special mission so he was being carefully watched by Agent Carter.

"Peggy! Peggy! Look, Look!" yelled Oliver as he ran towards one of his snowmen, brandishing a stick and waving it about like a sword. With a large grin and a yell, he dived into the snowmen, turning it into a mass of snow.

"Oliver! Oliver!"

He leapt up out of the snow and shook himself in order to get the majority of the snow off of his coat. He grinned at Peggy, who was looking very concerned, and waved. "Didja see that Peggy?! Didja see!?"

Peggy sighed in relief and nodded, "Yes, yes Oliver. I saw…now can we please go and get warm now? We've been out here for hours!"

Oliver frowned and shook his head, "We can't Peggy! They're not back yet!"

Peggy raised an eyebrow and strode through the snow in order to lift Oliver up into her arms, "They may not be back for hours yet. If you stay out here much longer, you're going to catch a cold…or worse! Now, come on and we'll go pester Howard for a nice hot drink to warm us up, okay?"

Oliver looked as though he was going to protest before nodding and attempting to blow his fringe out of his face. "Okay Peggy….but if they're not back tonight, can we go out again tomorrow?"

Peggy nodded in agreement, "Sounds fair now-"She paused as she caught movement from the entrance of the camp out of the corner of her eye.

Noticing this, Oliver twisted his head to the entrance only to grin and struggle in Peggy's arms. "It's Daddy! And Dugan, and Falsy!"

Struggling to keep a hold of Oliver, Peggy quickly placed him on the ground and followed as he shot off towards the small group. As she got closer, she noticed that something was wrong. Steve was being supported in between Dugan and Falsworth, an arm wrapped around each of their shoulders as the rest of the commandos followed on behind him.

Peggy immediately became concerned when she didn't see any wounds on Steve or Bucky hovering by him anxiously. "Oliver! Oliver, wait!" she cried out, but it was too late. Oliver had already bounded up to his Dad.

"Dad! Dad!" Before Oliver could get any closer however, he was stopped by Dugan as Falsworth helped Steve over to a separate tent. Oliver tried to follow, but Dugan picked him up and placed him on his knee.

Dugan sighed as Oliver scowled at him in confusion, "Kid…your Dad needs a little alone time at the moment…"They watched as a small bespectacled man was dragged away.

Oliver pointed at the man and grinned, "You won! You caught the bad man! Just like Momma said you would…" he glanced around, "…where is Momma?"

Dugan shook his head tiredly, "That's what I've been trying to say…your Momma isn't going to be coming back."

Oliver frowned, "That's not true…Momma said he would see me later and Momma never lies!"

"I know kid…but something really bad happened. Your Momma saved your Dad kid, but he wasn't able to save himself. He's gone kiddo…I'm so sorry."

Dugan winced as he saw Oliver's eye fill with tears. "You're lying!" cried Oli "Daddy would have saved him, like he does in the comics!"

"H-he tried kiddo but-"

"NO! YOU'RE LYING!" Oliver screamed, pushing Dugan away so that he could get off of his knees. Due to Oliver's increased strength, Dugan grunted in pain and released him, meaning that Oliver was able to rush off towards the rest of the commandos, looking at every face in an attempt to find his Momma.

"Oliver. Oliver come on kid." Gabe Jones tried to pick Oliver up, but found his hands pushed away as Oliver continued to look around for Bucky. "Oliver, come on. Your Dad's in your tent…I think you should be together right now."

Oliver nodded before rushing off to the tent, ignoring Gabe's frantic shouts from behind him. It couldn't be true…his Momma couldn't be dead. Tears still in his eyes, Oliver burst into the tent to find Steve sitting on his bed, face buried in his hands as his shoulders shook.

"Daddy?"

Steve raised his head, causing Oliver to take a step back at the sight of tears streaming down his Dad's face. "Daddy…where's Momma!?"

Steve shook his head wearily, "Oh Oli…Oli, I'm sorry…but Bucky's gone."

"Dugan…Dugan said that Momma saved you…but that you couldn't save him!"

"…He's right. I wasn't quick enough…and Bucky payed the price." Steve noticed that Oliver was taking a few steps back and reached out for him. "Oli…God, Oli I'm sorry!"

Oliver dodged his Dad's hands and dived towards his cot, "No! No! No! You're lying!"

"God Oli…" Steve quickly pulled his son into a hug, "…I wish to God that I was but…Bucky's gone!"

Oliver buried his head into his Dad's shoulders, sobbing as Steve brought him over to his and Bucky's shared cot, carefully pulling a blanket over the pair as Oliver cried himself to sleep.

…

He awoke a few hours later to find the cot deserted, with no sign of his Dad anywhere. The memories soon came flooding back to him and tears once again began to stream down his cheeks. As he left the tent, he noticed Peggy leaving the camp, heading towards the small, ruined town that they had camped by.

As it was night-time, Oliver found it very easy to follow Peggy into the town. She entered a broken-down old bar where, from the doorway, Oliver could see his Dad sitting at a table where Peggy joined him. Remaining hidden in the doorway, Oliver listened in on the conversation.

"Doctor Erskine said that the serum wouldn't just affect my muscles…" he heard his Dad begin, "…but my cells as well. Create a protective system of regeneration and healing, which means…I can't get drunk. Did you know that?"

Oliver saw Peggy sit down, "Your metabolism burns four times faster than that of the average human being….he thought it might be one of the side effects. And from the way your son goes through food that applies to him as well. Speaking of Oliver, why aren't you with him right now?"

There was silence, before Peggy continued. "It wasn't your fault you know…"

"Did you read the reports?"

"Yes."

"Then you know that's not true. Everyone knows it, even Oli knows it…he may never forgive me for it."

"You did everything you could…even if Oli doesn't know it now, he will in the future. Now did you believe in Barnes as well as love him? Did you respect him?"

Oliver didn't need to hear his Dad's reply. He knew his Dad loved and respected his Momma...no matter what. Peggy continued despite Steve's silence. "Then stop blaming yourself and allow Barnes the dignity of his choice…he damn well must have thought you were worth it!"

"But what about Oli? I don't know how to raise a kid on my own, Bucky was always so much better at it than me! I don't think I can do this!"

"Steve, you are an amazing Dad and Barnes knew it…he trusted you to do the right thing when it came to Oliver. And you're not alone…the rest of the Howling Commandos would only be too glad to help you."

There was silence for a few minutes before his Dad finally said something else, "I'm goin' after Schmidt. I'm not gonna stop till all of Hydra is dead or captured…"

"You won't be alone…"

Oliver couldn't take it anymore. Running around the corner, stumbling over the bits and pieces of broken wood and glass, he managed to clamber onto his Dad's lap and throw his arms around his Dad's neck in a desperate attempt to comfort him.

"Yeah! I'll come with you Daddy! We'll win against Hydra together!"

Oliver felt his Dad shake his head, "Oh Oli…no you can't. This is something that I need to do alone…besides, I can't lose you too!"

His Dad's shoulders began to shake again, but before Oliver could say anything, he felt himself being lifted away from Steve and into Peggy's arms. "Come along Oliver…" she whispered as he reached out for his Dad, "….I think your Dad needs to be alone right now. Besides, I think it's past your bedtime!"

Oliver sighed and nodded as Peggy carried him out of the ruined bar. Over Peggy's shoulder, Oliver could see his Dad pour another drink, his shoulders still shaking as the sound of muffled sobs could be heard as they echoed throughout the bar.


	2. The Last Base

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….

"Sergeant Barnes was a dedicated solider, who fought bravely for his country. This regiment has a lot to thank him for and I want everyone to remember this. He gave up his life in order to help us apprehend a dangerous criminal, and this is why we are all gathered here today to honour him."

Oliver tuned out the rest of the Colonel's speech as he clutched a small bouquet of daises to his chest with one hand. He, his Father, Peggy, Howard and the rest of the Howling Commandos were gathered around a wooden cross that had been hammered into the semi-frozen ground. On it was inscribed;

James Buchanan Barnes

1917-1945

Together until the end of the line

Oliver clutched his Dad's hand tightly as everyone saluted the cross as a sign of respect. Steve then gently encouraged Oliver to let go of his hand as he strode closer to the cross in order to make his own speech. Steve took a deep breath before starting.

"Bucky…was the only friend that I had for a very long time. He was one of the only ones who saw me for who I was, not just what I appeared to be. For years he did nothin' but protect me…and even when I signed up for the army and received Erskine's serum, this didn't change. Even though I was stronger and got him out of a far few scrapes…Bucky still stood up for me, no matter what was bein' said or who was sayin' it. He just didn't care."

Oliver buried his head into Dugan's legs as he say his Dad take a shuddery breath, before continuing.

"Bucky meant everything to me and always will. Even when I had nothing, I had Bucky…and despite the fact that he's gone, I know that he'll be with me until the end of the line."

Oliver glanced around at the congregation as his Dad made his way back over to him. Colonel Phillips had made this particular ceremony private, so there wasn't anyone there who didn't know about his parent's relationship. Once his Dad was back by his side, it was Oliver's turn. Gently pushing him forwards, his Dad smiled reassuringly at him as Oliver made his way over to the cross.

Bending down he gently placed the daises at the foot of the grave. He knelt there for a moment, ignoring the stares of the rest of the congregation as he stared at the cross, tears streaming down his face. "Bye, bye Momma…" he whispered, getting up and making his way back to his Dad.

…..

The next few days passed by quickly. Steve found himself at meeting, after meeting, after meeting, each one building up a solid attack plan for going after the last Hydra bas and Schmidt himself. Due to this, he didn't see his son as often as he should have. He saw Oliver in the morning when he woke him up and then again at night when Oliver was already fast asleep….he felt bad, but kept justifying it, telling himself that it would all be worth it in the end when the Red Skull was in the army's custody and the war was over.

Then and only then, could they be the perfect family…well almost perfect.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Steve span around as he heard his son approach from the back, "Daddy, where are you goin'?!"

Oliver was staring curiously at the motorcycle and the large number of armed soldiers getting ready to head out. Steve sighed and knelt down, "I'm gonna go get Schmidt…make him pay for everything that he's done…"

"For Momma?"

Steve winced at the memory and pulled Oliver closely, "Yeah…for Bucky. You're gonna have to stay here though, with Howard okay?"

Steve chuckled as Oliver pulled a face at the thought, but Colonel Phillips arrival on the scene soon sobered him up. "Well there's where our issue is Captain. It appears as though Howard is going on his own mission…he won't look after Oli and because everyone else is going on this mission, we have no choice…he's going to have to come with us."

Steve protested as Oliver began to jump up and down excitedly, "I getta be a hero! I getta be a hero!"

Colonel Phillips smirked, "Not a chance boy…what you get to be, is behind the entire squadron at all times. We have a specialised jeep that you and some armed guards will stay in."

Steve frowned as Oliver began to pout at the unfairness of it all, "It's too dangerous…" exclaimed Steve, "…this is the last Hydra base, so it's gonna be swarming with Hydra soldiers. What if they get too close to this jeep and open fire on it!? Those weapons that they have will destroy everything they hit, including Oli!"

Colonel Phillips shrugged, "I know the risks…but it's safer than him and few guards staying here completely unprotected."

Steve paused for a moment, glancing at Oliver who was still sulking. "Okay…but the jeep needs to be way behind the squadron, so that those in front have plenty of time to defeat the Hydra soldiers. Is that possible?"

Colonel Phillips nodded just as Peggy arrived with a small duffle bag containing a few of Oliver's toys. "I thought he might need some of these to keep him occupied during the mission…it's just a few comics and a couple of wooden toys."

Steve nodded in thanks as he led Oli over to where the jeep was. After placing his son inside, he made sure Oliver was looking him in the eye. "You need to stay in here…no matter what happens, you must stay in here!"

Oliver nodded as he reached in his bag to pull out one of his toy soldiers, "I will Daddy, I promise!"

Steve didn't quite believe him but decided to let it go for the time being. His son would be guarded at all times, so the risk of him leaving the jeep was very slim…or so he thought.

….

It took hours for the squadron to arrive at the base…hours of just waiting and playing with his toy soldiers.

Oliver was bored out of his mind.

The most exciting part of the journey came when they came within a few yards of the base and the sounds of gunfire filled the wooded area. The men that were in the jeep with Oliver glanced uneasily at each other, but remained where they were…at least until the sounds of fighting got too close to the jeep…then they ran out in order to help their friends.

Oliver waited in the jeep for as long as he could, but after 10 minutes silence fell and curiosity overcame him. Peeking his head out the window, Oliver couldn't see anyone…so, making sure that his Dad wasn't anywhere around, he opened the door and jumped out of the vehicle. Sticking close to the tall grass and the shadowy areas, Oliver was able to sneak towards the Hydra base. Not that he needed to sneak mind you…any Hydra guards that were around were either dead or far too injured to even see Oliver striding up to the doors of the base.

The sounds of fighting further within the base was very clear, making it easy for Oliver to follow. The corridors twisted and turned as he got closer and closer to the fight. Suddenly, up ahead, he could see a female agent talking to his Dad. He tried to duck out of the way…but it was too late.

"OLIVER ROGERS!" yelled his Dad, causing Peggy to spin around, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!"

Oliver winced as Peggy ran up and grabbed him by the arm as she dragged him towards his Dad, "This is not safe!" she yelled, "What the bloody hell were you thinking?!"

Oliver shrugged as he saw Colonel Phillips make his way over as well. "We don't have time for this…." Ordered the man, "…Schmidt's about to take off in that plane. Captain, you need to stop him! Agent Carter and I will keep Oliver close to us."

Steve nodded as he removed his shield from where it was keeping the door open and slipped through the gap into the hanger bay…he didn't even look at Oli. Peggy sighed as Oliver moved as if to follow, only being prevented by Peggy's hand tightly holding his arm. "O no. You're in enough trouble..."she scolded, "…You're staying with us whilst we go and get a getaway vehicle."

Oliver groaned as he was pulled through in a garage complex, where Colonel Phillips was waiting for them, sitting in a posh, black car. "I think I've found an easier method of transportation!" The three bundled into the car and sped off, picking up Steve as they entered the hanger.

"We need to get closer!" yelled Steve as the car sped after Schmidt's plane.

Colonel Phillips rolled his eyes, "What do you think I'm trying to do?!"

It took a couple of minutes but eventually the car reached the end of the aircraft. It was at this moment where Steve turned to his son, who was giggling in the back seat. "Oliver, I need you to listen to me…" Oliver, who noticed the serious tone of voice, nodded as Steve brought their heads closer together, "….if this doesn't work, I'll need you to be a brave boy okay?"

Oliver frowned as Steve continued, "And no matter what happens…I want you to know that I love you. You are one of the greatest parts of my life and nothing will ever change that!"

Oliver nodded, tears dwelling in his eyes. "I love you too Daddy…but you're gonna be okay and you're gonna kick the Red Skull's ass!"

Steve rolled his eyes and mock frowned, "Language!" He glanced up at the plane and sighed, "Well…here I go."

With a bit of manoeuvring, Steve managed to clamber into the plane just as they came to the end of the runway. Oliver squealed as Colonel Phillips slammed the brakes on and span the car around until the back end of it was hanging over the edge of the runway. Thankfully, the three of them were able to leave the car without it falling off the edge and make their way to the main control room, where the Howling Commandos were waiting for them.

There, they waited until Steve's voice came over the radio. "Come in. This is Captain Rogers, do you read me?"

Morita found himself being moved out of the way as both Oliver and Peggy practically wrestled for the microphone. "Steve? Is that you, are you alright?!" asked Peggy frantically.

"Peggy! Schmidt's dead!"

"What about the plane?"

"Ummmm, that's a little tougher to explain!"

"Give me your coordinates and I'll find you a safe landing site."

"There's not gonna be a safe place…but I can try and force it down."

"Uh, well I'll try and get Howard on the line. He'll know what to do!"

"There's no time! This thing is moving too fast and it's heading straight towards New York…" There was a pause, before Steve continued. "…I gotta put her in the water!"


	3. Orphaned

I'm crying whilst writing this…I get way too emotionally invested sometimes.

The whole 'your Bucky' thing hasn't helped….

Please read and review :)

…..

"…I gotta put her in the water!"

Oliver frowned in confusion, "Daddy! You can't!"

Peggy seemed to agree by the way she pleaded with his Dad, "Steve don't do this! We can find another way! We have time, we can work it out!"

"Right now I'm in the middle of nowhere and if I wait any longer, then a lot of people are going to die!"

"But Daddy…." Begged Oliver, "…you'll have to swim forever! You'll get tired!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Oli saw Peggy wince, as though he had said something wrong. This was only confirmed when his Dad's voice came over the radio again. "I'm sorry kiddo…but I don't think I'll be coming out of this plane."

"But…but….you have to come back! You can't stay in the plane!"

"Oli...remember what I told you? You have to be a brave boy now…especially for Peggy. Can you do that for me?"

Oliver couldn't say anything. The only thing that could come out of his mouth was the occasional sob and gasp as he realized what was happening. His Dad wouldn't be coming back.

"Oli…" Oliver shook his head as if trying to block his Dad's voice out, "…This is my choice okay? Just like it was Bucky's choice to save me that day…I won't you to remember that…and I won't you to remember that we both love you, so much. Okay?"

There was only silence as Oliver couldn't find the breath to talk and Peggy was crying behind him. The sounds of the plane being forced into a downwards direction was the only thing that could be heard over the radio until Steve spoke again.

"Oli…please, I need you to promise me! Promise me that you'll remember that!"

Oli gasped as tears streamed down his face and nodded, despite Steve not being able to see him. "I promise Daddy! I promise! I…love you Daddy"

"I love you too kiddo…see you later okay?"

Oliver knew his Dad was only trying to make him feel better at this point, but he played along. "A-and you'll play with me…and teach me how to fight like you promised?"

"Didn't I tell you that you were too young…but okay Oli. I'll teach you okay?"

"Everything?"

"Everything. Even that nifty little move with th-…."

Oliver's eyes widened as his Dad's voice cut out and all that could be heard was static. "Daddy? Daddy?!"

Silence.

"Daddy please!" Oliver struggled as he felt Peggy try and pull him away from the microphone, "NO! DADDY PLEASE!"

It took both Peggy and Colonel Phillips to truly pull him out of the room, with Oliver kicking and screaming the entire way. Pressing his head against her shoulder, Peggy tried to calmhim down through her own tears as Colonel Phillips gave them some privacy.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered, "…I'm so, so sorry."

…..

The service was hard. It was the second one in a little over a week and Peggy couldn't take it anymore. The worst thing was, this wasn't even the official funeral for Captain Rogers! This was only the one that the Howling Commandos decided to hold so that they could place another cross by Bucky Barnes's without repercussions. The official one, with all the pomp and circumstance, would be held a week later.

Peggy glanced down at Oliver. It was too soon…he hadn't even fully processed that Bucky wasn't coming back and now Steve was gone as well. The poor boy was just staring at the ground…he hadn't stopped crying since it happened.

"Oliver?" Peggy whispered as the service came to a close with Colonel Phillips finishing up with a closing speech, "Oliver, are you okay?"

Oliver scowled and shook his head, before storming off to, what used to be, his tent that he shared with his parents. Peggy tried to stop him, but he just ignored her. She sighed as she heard the sound of Oliver sobbing within the tent.

"He's not taking this well is he?" Peggy twisted her head round at the sound of Howard's voice and frowned at him.

"No, of course he's not…Howard, he's just lost two men who he considered to be his family and rightly so! He's allowed to be angry and upset at all of this!"

Howard nodded, "Alright, alright…" he glanced at the tent, "…maybe I should go and talk to him. Man to man, you know?!"

Peggy tried to stop him, but it was too late. Howard was already making his way into the tent…there was no way this could go well.

….

Oliver curled into a tight ball as he heard the tent door rustle as it was opened. "Oliver…Oliver, everything is going to be alright…in a few weeks' time, you won't even remember all of this. It'll just seem like a horrible nightmare."

There was only silence as Oliver buried his head in his pillow and continued to ignore the scientist. Undeterred, Howard continued, "Hey, when all this is over you'll even have a new family! Wouldn't that be nice? New toys…a mommy and a daddy to care for you…hell, I can't think of anything bett-"

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!" screamed Oliver as he shot up from the bed and span around to face Howard. "I DON'T WANT ANY OTHER PARENTS, I WANT MY PARENTS!"

Howard leaned back as Oliver began to shout and scream in his tear-stained face. "NOTHING IS GONNA BE ALRIGHT ANYMORE! MOMMA'S DEAD AND NOW SO IS DADDY!"

"Kid, there's nothing I can do about that! Look, I just think you might be happier with another fam-"

"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! I WANT MOMMA! I WANT DADDY!" Oliver cried as he fell backwards onto the pillow, only to bury his face in it again and continue sobbing. Due to the commotion, Peggy had rushed in and once she noticed the situation, she pulled Howard away. "Leave him be Howard…I think you've done enough here."

The pair left the tent, only to be met outside by Colonel Phillips. "Nicely done Stark…" he exclaimed, frowning at the oblivious look on Howard's face, "…you just made a distraught boy even worse."

Howard rolled his eyes, "We can't coddle him forever! And we can't look after him….at least not after the war is over. We need to find him another family!"

Peggy scowled at the man, "Coddle him? He's just lost both of his parents and for a four, almost five, year old…that's one of the worst things you can experience!"

"Well what do you suggest we do then?! He needs a home…a family! The only problem is that I know he won't want help. One thing that my little experiment guaranteed is that he's too much like Barnes and Rogers….stubborn to the point of it doing him harm!"

Colonel Phillips nodded, "Agreed…which is why he'll stay with me until we can find a more permanent solution. My son will be living at home, so he can do most of the caring….he likes children, so he'll be fine."

Both Howard and Peggy seemed shocked at this, with Howard spluttering out a protest. "B-but….there are lots of surrogate families who would be happy to take care of him. You don't have to take on this-"

"Yes I do…" stated Phillips calmly, "…for two reasons. One, I owe it to Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes to take care of this kid. Two, this kid knows way too much. Military knowledge that has to be kept out of the hands of the general public. It's safer if he stays with someone of authority, now no offense Stark, but I don't trust you with a dog let alone a kid."

"What about Carter? I mean, she's a dame…she has all these motherly instincts right?"

Before Phillips could say anything, Howard found himself on the ground with a bloody nose curtesy of Peggy. Phillips smirked, "Well I can't say you didn't deserve that…but no. Agent Carter won't be able to, unless we place her and a male undercover as a married couple with Oliver. A single woman with a child will attract too much attention…attention we don't need."

….

The war was over.

The Howling Commandos made a toast to Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes as the rest of the squadron packed up. Howard was searching for Steve as Peggy hoisted the last of Oliver's bags into a jeep, which would take Oliver to a private airfield, which would take him to America, where a jeep would take him to Colonel Phillip's house.

"Peggy?" Peggy glanced up at the soft whimper from the back seat of the vehicle, "Do I have to go?"

Peggy sighed, "Oliver…we've talked about this."

"Yeah…but can't I stay with you?"

"I'm afraid not darling…but you'll like it with Colonel Phillips. His son is very nice apparently."

"What's his name?"

"Canton…Canton Delaware."

"Not Phillips?"

"He didn't want anyone to know Colonel Phillips was his Dad, so he uses his Mother's name. He's a very nice young man, I promise."

Oliver didn't look convinced, but it was too late to protest. With an impatient beep, the driver indicated that he needed to set off. Peggy nodded in understanding before gently stroking Oli's cheek. "I'll see you soon darling, okay?"

"Peggy! Peggy, please!"

Peggy tried not to cry as the jeep left the camp, with Oliver's cries piercing through the wooded area…until silence.

He was gone.


	4. Meeting Canton

Well, I'm glad to see a lot of other people were crying as well at that chapter…makes me feel a little better :)

For any Doctor Who fans out there, you may find that you recognise the character Canton in this chapter. He was an FBI agent who was kicked out because of his relationship with an African-America male…using a bit a creative licence, I've made him Colonel Phillips son. The reason for this will soon become clear.

Please read and review :)

…...

"Sshh, you'll wake Dad up!" whispered Canton urgently as he and his…friend quickly entered the house.

The man with him rolled his eyes, "It's ten in the morning…chances are your Dad is already awake!"

Canton scowled, "Well then we'd better hope he's at some important war meeting then…or with some of his buddies upstairs."

The two men carefully removed their boots and hung up their coats. The other man glanced up at the ceiling, "The war's been over for almost a year now…why's he still having meetings?"

"Being a Colonel is a full time job…that and Oliver still doesn't have a permanent home."

"I thought he was staying with you until his was old enough to take care of himself?"

Canton shrugged as they made their way to the kitchen, "With my FBI training and Dad's war meetings…we don't really have the time to look after a five year old."

Morgan nodded, "That and you were attacked a few months ago!"

Canton winced at the memory and nodded, "Yeah that too…"

It had been almost five months ago. Canton was alone at home, looking after Oli when the front door was kicked and a couple of armed, masked men burst through the door and open fired on the pair. Due to Canton's army training and his current FBI training, he was able to grab a surprised Oliver and dive behind the sofa.

Canton was thankful for his military training in a number of ways, but right there and then, he was thankful for the instinct to keep a weapon on him at all times. Peeking over the top of the sofa, Canton was able to take the men down. Only minutes after the shots were fired, soldiers marched into the house in order to secure the scene.

Needless to say, his Dad was not happy. With the increased security threat, his family was now in even more danger. Interrogation of the one man who didn't bleed out at the scene revealed that they were after Oliver. Confirmation of one individual who still had a version of the serum in him had dragged every scumbag out of the gutter and into the light…and they were all after one person. Oliver.

Canton sighed, "I can take care of myself and the kid…but Dad doesn't want to take the risk. He'll probably have to change his name and his identity and live with a completely oblivious couple. Harsh, but I can see why my Dad's doing this."

After getting a drink, the pair moved to the main sitting room, where Oliver could be seen at the table, sketching into his notebook. Canton grinned and sat next to him, "Hey squirt…the art museum call yet? Because I bet you can make a lot of money with those doodles of yours!"

Oliver smiled gently at the man before shaking his head, "No…I don't want any money anyway…" He glanced at the other man, "Hey Coulson…you can relax you know. Phillips' is upstairs with Peggy and Howard. They've been up there for a long time!"

Coulson rolled his eyes, "You know, just because Canton calls me Coulson doesn't mean you have to. My name's Morgan."

Oliver frowned in confusion, "Why does he call you Coulson though?"

Canton rolled his eyes as Morgan gestured at him, "Because he's afraid that if he calls me by anything other than my last name, then his Dad will get mad."

"Mad about what? About you guys being in love?"

The two adults appeared shocked at this as Oliver continued, "Because he doesn't care about that! He didn't care with my parents…" here, Oliver held up his drawing which portrayed two stick figures, one with a blue jacket and the other with a shield, "…and if it's about your colour, then he won't care about that either! He didn't care about Gabe!"

Morgan was shocked for a moment before smiling gently at the child, "Oh? And you know this for certain do you?"

Oliver nodded, a serious look on his face. "Yes, I can…because Chester is a good man, even if he s really scary sometimes. Besides…" Oliver smirked at the table, "…he told me he didn't care. Said that one day, he hoped you two would be able to do what my parents have done…"

"And what's that?"

"Raise a kid…"

Morgan chuckled as Canton chocked slightly on his drink, spraying a tiny amount of juice onto the table. "I don't think Canton's ready for that…"

"Why not?"

"Children are a big responsibility you know…some people need a little bit of time to get used to the idea."

Oliver nodded in understanding before grinning, "So what would you call them?"

"Them?"

"You know…your son or daughter?"

Morgan smirked, before turning to Canton…who seemed to be taking this seriously! "Canton?"

Canton smiled, "I like Phillip…"

"Phillip? Why?" asked Morgan

"Well, I feel bad that I took my Mom's name instead of Dad's. If we called the kid Phillip, then it would be like saying 'Hey Dad, I do appreciate you!'"

Morgan nodded in understanding before scrunching up his face, "Phillip…Delaware. Not bad…sounds a bit like he would be a lawyer or something. No offense!"

Canton chuckled, "Well, actually….I was thinking Phillip…Coulson." He grinned at the shock on Morgan's face. "Now I know that doesn't make him sound any less like a lawyer…but that's the beauty of it! Nobody would suspect anything, they would just brush him off as an ordinary man….and then when they least expect it BAM!"

Oliver jumped slightly in his seat, scowling as the two chuckled at him. Morgan smiled apologetically before turning back to Canton, "Soooo…you think he's going to be a secret agent?"

"With me as a Dad, why wouldn't he!?"

"Maybe he'll decide to take after me instead? Be a teacher?"

Canton shrugged, "Maybe…but even if he does become an agent, he'll still take after you. He'll still be a good man, you know…"

Morgan shook his head and grinned, "Shut up…what would your Dad say about all of this, you acting all romantic and sh-stuff."

"I'd say he was raised right…" the two men span around in shock at the voice from the doorway. Colonel Phillips was stood there, with Howard and Peggy on either side of him. Canton shot up from his seat and began to babble nervously, "Dad, I didn't know you were here I-"

Colonel Phillips held up a hand to silence him, "You're twenty four…not fifteen anymore, there's no need to explain. But you do know that now you have to call your kid Phillip?"

Canton glanced at Morgan before turning back to his Dad, who was smirking at him. "Y-you heard all that?"

"Of course. We were just in the other room after all."

Canton frowned and pointed at Oliver, who just grinned at him. "B-but he said-"

Oliver interrupted, giggling at the look on Canton's face. "I lied…they were talking, but not upstairs."

Canton glared at the boy and shook his head, "You sneaky little…monkey." He would have said something worse, but Agent Carter frowning at him soon stopped him in his tracks.

Colonel Phillips continued to smirk, "Don't panic Canton…but I'll say to you what I said to Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes. You need to be careful, especially with Mr Coulson here…if anyone suspects what is really going on between you two, then I can't help you. You understand this right?"

Canton and Morgan glanced at each other before nodding. They knew the risks when they first started their relationship, and too be honest, they had gotten pretty good at lying to others about it. Knowing that they understood, Colonel Phillips asked them, politely to leave the room so that he and the other two could speak to Oliver in private.

"Kid…" began Colonel Phillips, "…we have some good news and some bad news."


	5. Frozen

Please read and review :)

…

Oliver bounced up and down in the backseat of the car, watching as the city flew past his window. Colonel Phillips sat in the front passenger seat with Howard driving, and Peggy was in the back with him in order to keep in company.

Howard glanced in the rear view mirror and sighed, "Oliver, can you not out your fingers all of the window…Jarvis has just cleaned that and he doesn't want to have to wipe your mucky prints off of them!"

Oliver stared guiltily at his fingers before wiping them on his trousers, "Sorry Howard…are we there yet?"

Phillips scoffed, "Trust me kid, you'll know when we get there. His house is as big as his ego…"

Howard shook his head, "I know neither you nor Agent Carter particularly agree with what we are about to do. Something about your morals, I get it! But, you both agreed that this is something that we need to do, no matter what! So can you please stop making me out to be the bad guy?"

Oliver stared in confusion at both Phillips and Peggy as they turned away from Howard to look out of their respective windows. It only took a few minutes more before the car was pulling up in front of a large manor house. Oliver's eyes widened at the sight, "Whoa! Is this where I'm going to stay now?"

Howard winced before nodding, "Yeah…sort of."

The four of them entered the house, only to be met by a well-dressed man, who looked very panicked at something. "Sir, Is this really such a good idea? I mean-"

Howard held up his hand and frowned at the man, "Jarvis, don't be so rude man! Introduce yourself…"

Jarvis seemed like he was going to say something else, but stopped himself before kneeling down to look Oliver in the eye. "Hello there…."

Oliver, who had been hiding behind Peggy's leg at this point, slowly peeked around and smiled at Jarvis. Noticing this Jarvis gently encouraged the child to stand in front of him before he continued talking, "…my name is Edwin Jarvis. I'm Mr Stark's butler….and may I ask what your name is?"

Oliver giggled, "I'm Oliver Rogers…You sound like Peggy and Falsworth!"

Jarvis laughed at this, "Well, we're both from England you see, Mr Falsworth as well I suppose…" He lifted the child into his arms as the small group made their way down to a remote room in the basement of the house, "…you sound different to Mr Stark and Colonel Phillips you know?"

Oliver glanced at the pair in question before twisting around to face Jarvis again. "I do?"

"Mmmmmhmmm, Brooklyn right?"

Oliver shrugged, but Peggy came to his rescue. "Oliver's parents were from Brooklyn. They both had accents…Barnes especially so. Oliver picked it up a little bit."

Jarvis nodded in understanding as they entered the small room. It was almost completely empty, with the only thing in the room being a small pod that was wired up to several canisters of an unknown substance. Oliver stared at the pod in confusion, "What's that?" he asked.

Glancing around, he saw that nobody was looking at him. Peggy in particular was doing her very best not to look at him. Howard was the only one who actually looked him in the eye. "This...this is just a little favour I'd like you to do for us."

Ignoring Oliver's scowl, Howard clumsily lifted him out of Jarvis's arms and carried him over to the pod before looking him in the eye. "You know….what happened a few months ago was very dangerous. Right?"

Oliver, remembering the shooting incident, nodded as Howard continued, "Right! Colonel Phillips son could have been hurt, you as well! So, I made this pod in order to keep you safe…at least until everything dies down a little bit. Then, you can be with a new family…okay?"

Oliver glanced at the pod uneasily before twisting around to look at the rest of the group. "How? What is it going to do?"

Howard flipped a switch that opened the pod and pointed inside, "When I put you in here, you'll just sleep for a bit, and before you know it, you'll be waking up and everything can go back to normal!"

Oliver looked at the pod again and frowned, "…I don't think I'll be able to sleep in that."

Howard chuckled, gently placing Oliver into the pod, "You'll be surprised kid. You'll be surprised."

As Howard moved to the side, Oliver sat up just as Jarvis spoke, "Sir, please! There must be another way!"

Peggy nodded "Agreed. Maybe we just need to place him in a high security household until they give up! Or just change his identity now and make sure he's far away from here."

Colonel Phillips shook his head, "That won't do anything. They'll find him and if we put him in a high security facility, then they'll just show up with more men and better weaponry…we need to do this."

Peggy and Jarvis glanced at each other before Peggy sighed, "Alright…but it's only for a few months right?"

Howard nodded, before gently encouraging Oliver to lie down in the pod. Oliver briefly resisted, "Wait! What about my teddy?!"

Howard glanced at the bags that Peggy and Colonel Phillips had brought in with them and gestured to them, signalling for Jarvis to try and find this teddy. It took a few minutes of frantic searching, but eventually Jarvis triumphantly pulled the bear out from underneath a pile of shirts and then handed it to Oliver who thanked him.

Howard then gently encouraged Oliver to lie down again, "Okay kiddo. I'm going to need you to close your eyes alright?"

Oliver stared at the rest of the group before nodding reluctantly and lying down, his eyes slipping shut as he tried to relax. A few seconds after, he heard the pod sliding shut, a sudden coldness and then…nothing.

…

Peggy turned away as ice covered the window of the pod, frosting over until Oliver could no longer be seen. "Well…" she gasped, tears in her eyes "…I suppose that's that then." The rest of the group sighed and nodded as they left the room, with Peggy lingering behind as she took one last, long look at the pod. She shook her head and sighed, "Is everything ready?"

Colonel Phillips nodded, "I've already informed our man in the newspaper department that he should print the headline for tomorrow mornings news. That should give us enough time to finish planning the fake funeral and preparing any statements that we'll need to give. Once that's done and everything's calmed down, then we can release Oliver and get him to a safe place with another family."

Jarvis, who had remained silent up until this point, glanced at the door to the basement room. "And…you say this is only for a few months right?"

Howard nodded, "Yep, a few months and then we can unfreeze him and send him away to a surrogate family."

Peggy sighed wearily as they made their way upstairs, "Steve would never forgive us for this…"

Howard shrugged, "It's not him I'm worried about…Barnes is the only one that used to hit me when I did something…like this. If he were here, I wouldn't be speaking to you right now!"

Colonel Phillips scoffed, "If he were here, then we wouldn't be doing this…"

…..

SON OF CAPTAIN AMERICA KILLED IN A FATAL SHOOTING INCIDENT.

That was the headline the following day. Peggy and the rest of the group found themselves under scrutiny as reporter after army general after secret service agent demanded to know what happened to the child. Each and every time, the story was the same. They were caught off guard by an unknown assailant who opened fired on the group, with one of the bullets entering Oliver's chest and rupturing his heart, killing him in seconds.

Months passed, but there was still no sign of the enemy ceasing to be a threat. Peggy went through her life as an agent. Colonel Phillips continued to work in the army and Howard…well Howard was Howard. Whilst Jarvis was involved in some of Peggy's activities, more often than not he found himself standing outside of the basement door…which often led to the same conversation every month.

"Sir. Could we possibly let the boy out now? I mean, there's been no sign of any criminal activity specially regarding him for a while now!"

"Not yet Jarvis. We can't be sure that the threat is gone yet."

…..

"Sir, you safe was just broken into! We need to get Oliver out, so we can move him!"

"Peggy's on the case….and nobody's going to get into that room. It's triple locked remember?"

"That didn't stop them from entering the safe!"

"Leave it alone Jarvis!"

…

"Sir…whilst I congratulate your marriage to Miss Maria. Perhaps you should reconsider your decision about young Master Rogers?"

"We've only just married and you think she wants a kid thrust into her life already?! Come On Jarvis, use your head!"

….

"Sir…Tony is almost six now. He's lonely, and maybe having an older brother will help? I think him and Oliver would get on quite well…It's only ten in the morning Sir, must you drink that right now?!"

"I'm under a lot of pressure right now Jarvis…and I can barely deal with one little bastard, you think I want another one?! Oliver stays where he is!"

…

"They're d-dead Jarvis! Both o-of them! W-what do I do!?"

"…I'm sorry Master Tony. I'm afraid I don't know…but I'll be here, you know that."

"Jarvis! A word man?"

"Of course Mister Stane."

"Now I know you want to hurry down to that basement to get whatever it is that Howard hid down there…but think of Antony for a moment. Do you really think he can deal with that just now?"

"…No sir…I suppose not"

….

"I-I need to tell you something…before i-I go"

"You're not going anywhere Jarvis! I need you here…with me!"

"I-I' sorry M-master Tony. I need you to go-to go…"

"Jarvis? Jarvis please! JARVIS!"

….

The years passed by and soon the memory of Oliver Rogers was only remembered in comic books and the tales of the Howling Commandos. After time though, they passed away…and Oliver Rogers was forgotten…lying underneath the floors of the old Stark mansion where he would remain…for seventy years.


	6. Epilogue

Okay, I'm going to try and make sense of the chapter before you actually read it. In this AU, everything earlier than in canon and Steve met key characters before the incident in the Avengers.

These key characters are: Tony and human (sorta) Jarvis, with their son Edwin. (Iron one and two has already happened), Phil and Clint with their son, Ian (Thor has happened as well), Peter and Wade, with their son Sebastian and Matt and Foggy with their son, Joseph.

All of these other characters have separate storylines which I will be writing at some point (Joseph's has already started, and can be found at /works/4016212

This is the last chapter of this part, but kepp an eye out because the next part of the series will be here in a day or two :)

Please read and review :)

…..

"This is incredible…" muttered Steve as he twisted around in order to try and capture every little detail of the SHIELD headquarters, "…and you say Peggy set all of this up?"

Fury nodded as he led the man into a separate room, "She was the head of SHIELD for a long time. One of the most respected agents this country has ever seen actually! I was honoured to meet her once upon a time."

Steve smiled softly, "She was a terrific woman…what about Colonel Phillips? Howard? The rest of the Howling Commandos…Oliver?"

Fury and Steve sat down at a nearby table before Fury continued. "Colonel Phillips was also one of the founders of SHIELD. He had a long happy life, even living long enough to meet his grandson and tell him all about you. He passed away peacefully almost thirty years ago."

Steve frowned in confusion, ""I though Colonel Phillips only had one kid? A son, who was…well, he was-"

"Homosexual…" interrupted Fury, "…yes he was, but that didn't stop him and his partner raising a kid under the pretence that Canton got some poor woman pregnant and she gave the kid up. They found a baby in the dumpster near their flat and decided to adopt him. You're about to meet Colonel Phillips's grandson in a few minutes actually."

Steve nodded in understanding, but before he could say anything, the door opened and a middle-aged man entered. Fury waved the man over and gestured for him to sit down. "Captain Rogers, this is Special Agent Phillip Coulson."

Steve held out his hand for the man to shake, trying to ignore the slightly star-struck in Agent Coulson's eyes. "It's very nice to meet you Sir…" stated Steve.

Agent Coulson waved his hand, "Please, don't call me Sir. You're a war hero, you shouldn't be calling me Sir!"

Steve nodded, but once again, before he could say anything the door to the room slammed open and a small child ran into the room. "Dad! Dad!" yelled the kid as he leapt into Agent Coulson's lap, "Ed, Joey and Seb are going to see a movie, can I go with them!?"

Coulson smiled apologetically at Steve before frowning at the boy, "Ian. What have I told you about bursting into rooms without knocking?"

Ian shrugged, "Not too…except in an emer-gency, which this is!"

"You and I need to have a talk about what an emergency actually is…which movie are they going to see?"

Ian shrugged again, "Dunno, but Mr Wilson said he was going to take us!"

Immediately, Coulson began to shake his head. "No. No way. If it had been any other adult, I might have said yes, but not Wade!"

"Why not!"

"The man acts more like a child than all of you put together! I can practically see the sugar rush that you and the other boys will be having…are they aware of your plans?"

Ian shook his head. "Ed said his Dad wouldn't care and Joey hasn't told his yet…"

"Well I can guarantee you that Tony would care and now with a quick phone call, Mister Murdock isn't going to agree either. Where's your Papa anyway?"

Ian pointed upwards, causing Fury to stand up and yell at the ceiling. "BARTON! I'VE WARNED YOU ABOUT CRAWLING THROUGH THE VENTS!"

There was a banging sound from above them before silence. Coulson sighed and placed his son back on the floor, before taking out his phone. "Right young man. You are going to march yourself back to the common room whilst I message Mr Nelson who will then keep an eye on you and the terrible trio. I don't want to receive a message later saying that you and the others have snuck out anyway. Okay?"

Ian scowled but nodded as he stormed out of the room. Coulson sighed and turned to Steve. "I'm very sorry about that. I thought Ian was still at his sign language class…he has a habit of sticking his nose into other people's business. He's too much like his Papa really."

Steve smiled, "Oliver was much the same. He was always getting himself into trouble…so he's your son?"

"Yes."

"And you have a husband?"

"…Yes…Is that going to be a problem?"

Steve shook his head violently, "No, No! If I could have married Bucky back in the day, I would have! You're lucky…"

Coulson seemed very relieved to hear this. "O –of course. I'm sorry, I remember my Granddad telling me about your relationship with Bucky, but I just panicked. It's a good thing I was wrong though…we have quite a few couples in this organisation and many are same sex couples."

Steve's face seemed to indicate that Coulson should continue, so he did. "I married another SHIELD agent called Clint Barton. Mr Wilson, the man mentioned earlier, is married to a rather unique man and they have a child called Sebastian. We have a lawyer on our payroll who married his partner and they adopted a child called Joseph…and of course, Tony. He took a different route, but I'll explain that to you at a later date…even we have trouble understanding it sometimes."

Steve frowned in confusion, and Fury then interrupted. "Speaking of Tony, you'll be staying with him for the unforeseeable future."

"May I ask why Sir?"

"He's actually offered it to you. An entire floor to yourself."

Coulson then chimed in, "It won't be just you and his family though, don't worry. Clint, Ian and I also stay there most of time…Tony got into some trouble a couple of years ago and then again a few months back. It…resulted in some unfortunate incidents and to make it up to us, Tony offered us a floor. Ian and Edwin are good friends so we took it."

Steve shook his head in amazement, "Just who is this Tony guy anyway?!"

Fury smirked, "Howard's kid."

"Howard…had a kid?"

"You sound surprised."

"I didn't take him to be the parenting type…no offense to him of course!"

Fury shook his head, "Stark would agree with you. He and his Dad didn't have the best of relationships, but I think Tony's working through his Daddy issues. Although due to a recent development, we're having to go through every single one of Howard's properties. Old and new. It's going to take us months, maybe years before we get through it all."

Steve still looked amazed at the revelation that Howard had a kid, so Fury continued. "I'll make sure to provide you with the files on the Howling Commandos. I'm afraid not many are still with us, but I know that a couple are still hanging around."

Steve nodded in understanding before frowning, "So…what about Oliver? I know he'll be about seventy five now…but what happened to him. Did he get married? Do I have any grandchildren myself? That's…a really scary thought actually."

Fury and Coulson glanced at each other. Fury sighed and pulled a sheet of paper out from the inner pocket of his jacket, sliding it across the table towards Steve. Pulling it closer towards him, Steve took a closer look at the paper. It appeared to be the front page of a newspaper, an old one judging by the date at the top of the paper. Whilst the date was only a year after he'd crashed that plane into the ocean, it was the headline that truly caught Steve's attention.

SON OF CAPTAIN AMERICA KILLED IN A FATAL SHOOTING INCIDENT.

Steve's hand flew to his mouth and a strangled sob escaped. "W-what? T-this can't be real!"

Coulson winced, "I'm sorry…he was being transported to a secure facility when the team was attacked. A stray bullet hit him and Oliver died. I'm sorry Captain Rogers, I'm so sorry."

Steve couldn't reply. All he could do was shake his head and push the piece of paper away. Coulson couldn't help but remember a certain quote by an author known as Ann Voskamp. 'When grief is deepest, words are fewest.'

…

A few months after this incident, Coulson found himself over-seeing the search of Howard Stark's main house that had been abandoned for many years. Steve had been introduced to the rest of the team, which consisted of Tony and family, Peter and Wade, Clint (properly this time) and Matt and Foggy. They seemed to get on well and slowly but surely, Steve was getting used to living in a completely different time period.

"Sir?"

Coulson glanced at the agent and frowned at the slightly panicked look on his face. "What is it?"

The agent glanced down towards the basement stairs and winced, "We've found something…there was room in the basement and there was-"

Coulson held up a hand, "Maybe you should just show me."

The agent nodded and then led him down into the room. In the corner was a solitary pod that had layers of dust upon it. Coulson frowned, as he wiped away the dust from the top of the pod, only to step back. "I need to make a phone call." He stated as he practically rushed up the stairs.

The remaining agents glanced at each other in confusion before heading over to the pod themselves. Once they looked in the pod, they immediately understood the reason why Coulson had left the room.

"So…what's is the paperwork for finding Captain America's 'dead' son like?"


End file.
